Acoustic ceiling effectiveness in reducing sound

[iamphi]

I am considering applying spray-on acoustic/popcorn ceilings to reduce the noise level in my house. I haven't found any data supporting that popcorn ceiling reduce noise level. I am looking for data, physics, experiments, and tools to help me figure this out.

I asked this question at http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/7196/why-does-my-house-carry-sound-so-much
I have tried the suggested responses, but have not found a solution.
I am copying it here:

My home is a 1100sqft, single story home and it carries sound very far and clearly. It make the house 'loud'. When I sneeze loud I hear a high pitch echo. Voices seem to be amplified and with a slight echo. Are there tools to verify what I am experiencing and what can be done?

The floor is tile. The ceiling does not have 'popcorn'. The house's layout is like this:

_ = walls
. = hallway
M = master bedroom
B = bathroom
R = bedroom
K = kitchen + dinning room
L = living room
G = garage

[    ][B1][        ]
[ M  ][B2][_   K   ]
[___]..._______]
[R1 ].[R2 ].[      ] 
[___].[___].[   L  ] 
[         ] [______]
[    G    ]
[_________]

 

[Bobbywhy]

iamphi, Welcome to Physics Forums!

Besides the ceiling of your rooms it is important that you consider the materials on all surfaces, including walls and floors. Here are a few websites for design construction methods:

1. “Welcome to the new and improved Acoustics101.com site! The site you have come to know and love as the authoritative resource for acoustical construction and acoustic room design.”
http://www.acoustics101.com/

2. ”When a sound wave strikes one of the surfaces of a room, some of the sound energy is reflected back into the room and some penetrates the surface. Parts of the sound wave energy are absorbed by conversion to heat energy in the material, while the rest is transmitted through. The level of energy converted to heat energy depends on the sound absorbing properties of the material.”
http://www.ecophon.com/en/Acoustics/Room-Acoustic-Design/

3. From National Research Council Canada, see this:

“The sound absorption of a material is measured in terms of absorption coefficients that describe the fraction of the incident sound that is absorbed. Porous materials (materials that you can blow air through) such as acoustical ceiling tiles, carpets, or curtains and drapes tend to absorb sound best at mid and higher frequencies depending on the thickness and other material properties. Thin panels and other resonant systems generally absorb most at particular lower frequencies.

The total effective sound absorption is the sum of the products of the sound absorption coefficients of each material and their surface areas. For simple estimates, the sound absorption average (SAA) or noise reduction coefficient (NRC) can be used.”
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/irc/ctus/ctus-n51.html